U.S. patent application number 16/055340 was filed with the patent office on 2018-11-29 for extreme ultraviolet photoresist and method.
The applicant listed for this patent is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Yen-Hao Chen, Wei-Han Lai, Chin-Hsiang Lin, Chien-Wei Wang.
Application Number | 20180341175 16/055340 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 62190813 |
Filed Date | 2018-11-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180341175 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen; Yen-Hao ; et
al. |
November 29, 2018 |
Extreme Ultraviolet Photoresist and Method
Abstract
Resist materials having enhanced sensitivity to radiation are
disclosed herein, along with methods for lithography patterning
that implement such resist materials. An exemplary resist material
includes a polymer, a sensitizer, and a photo-acid generator (PAG).
The sensitizer is configured to generate a secondary radiation in
response to the radiation. The PAG is configured to generate acid
in response to the radiation and the secondary radiation. The PAG
includes a sulfonium cation having a first phenyl ring and a second
phenyl ring, where the first phenyl ring is chemically bonded to
the second phenyl ring.
Inventors: |
Chen; Yen-Hao; (New Taipei
City, TW) ; Lai; Wei-Han; (New Taipei City, TW)
; Wang; Chien-Wei; (Hsinchu County, TW) ; Lin;
Chin-Hsiang; (Hsin-chu, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. |
Hsin-Chu |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
62190813 |
Appl. No.: |
16/055340 |
Filed: |
August 6, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15412856 |
Jan 23, 2017 |
10042252 |
|
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16055340 |
|
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62428266 |
Nov 30, 2016 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G03F 7/26 20130101; C07C
381/12 20130101; G03F 7/40 20130101; G03F 7/2004 20130101; H01L
21/0274 20130101; G03F 7/38 20130101; G03F 7/2002 20130101; G03F
7/0382 20130101; C07D 337/16 20130101; G03F 7/0392 20130101; G03F
7/16 20130101; C07D 335/12 20130101; G03F 7/0045 20130101; G03F
7/32 20130101; C07D 337/10 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G03F 7/004 20060101
G03F007/004; G03F 7/20 20060101 G03F007/20; G03F 7/038 20060101
G03F007/038; G03F 7/039 20060101 G03F007/039; G03F 7/16 20060101
G03F007/16; H01L 21/027 20060101 H01L021/027; G03F 7/26 20060101
G03F007/26; G03F 7/38 20060101 G03F007/38; G03F 7/40 20060101
G03F007/40; C07C 381/12 20060101 C07C381/12 |
Claims
1. A resist material with enhanced sensitivity to radiation, the
resist material comprising: a polymer; a sensitizer; and a
photo-acid generator (PAG) that includes a cation and an anion,
wherein the cation of the PAG includes a sulfur chemically bonded
to a first phenyl ring and a second phenyl ring, and further
wherein the cation of the PAG further includes a chemical group
that chemically bonds the first phenyl ring to the second phenyl
ring.
2. The resist material of claim 1, wherein the polymer includes
polyhydroxystyrene.
3. The resist material of claim 2, further comprising at least one
hydroxyl (OH) group chemically bonded to the
polyhydroxystyrene.
4. The resist material of claim 1, wherein the sensitizer includes
polyhydroxystyrene.
5. The resist material of claim 1, wherein the first phenyl ring
includes a first carbon and a second carbon adjacent to the first
carbon and the second phenyl ring includes a third carbon and a
fourth carbon adjacent to the third carbon, the first carbon of the
first phenyl ring and the third carbon of the second phenyl ring
are chemically bonded to the sulfur, and the second carbon of the
first phenyl ring and the fourth carbon of the second phenyl ring
are chemically bonded to the chemical group.
6. The resist material of claim 5, wherein the chemical group is a
C1-C20 alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, a hydroxyl alkyl group, an
alkoxy group, an alkoxyl alkyl group, an acetyl group, an acetyl
alkyl group, a carboxyl group, an alkyl caboxyl group, a cycloalkyl
carboxyl group, a C2-C30 saturated hydrocarbon ring, a C2-C30
unsaturated hydrocarbon ring, a C2-C30 heterocyclic group, or a 3-D
chemical structure.
7. The resist material of claim 1, wherein the anion is sulfonyl
hydroxide.
8. The resist material of claim 1, wherein the anion is fluoroalky
sulfonyl hydroxide.
9. The resist material of claim 1, wherein the sensitizer is
chemically bonded to the polymer.
10. The resist material of claim 1, further comprising a blocking
group chemically bonded to the polymer.
11. A resist material with enhanced sensitivity to radiation, the
resist material comprising: a polymer; a sensitizer configured to
generate a secondary radiation in response to the radiation; and a
photo-acid generator (PAG) configured to generate acid in response
to the radiation and the secondary radiation, wherein the PAG
includes a sulfonium cation having a first phenyl ring and a second
phenyl ring, wherein the first phenyl ring is connected to the
second phenyl ring.
12. The resist material of claim 11, wherein a first carbon of the
first phenyl ring is directly chemically bonded to a second carbon
of the second phenyl ring.
13. The resist material of claim 11, wherein the first phenyl ring
includes a first carbon, the second phenyl ring includes a second
carbon, and the sulfonium cation further includes a third carbon
that is chemically bonded to the first carbon and the second
carbon, such that the third carbon connects the first phenyl ring
to the second phenyl ring.
14. The resist material of claim 13, wherein the sulfonium cation
further includes at least one carbon chemically bonded to the third
carbon.
15. The resist material of claim 11, wherein the first phenyl ring
includes a first carbon, the second phenyl ring includes a second
carbon, and the sulfonium cation further includes a third carbon
chemically bonded to the first carbon and a fourth carbon
chemically bonded to the second carbon, wherein the third carbon is
chemically bonded to the fourth carbon, such that the third carbon
and the fourth carbon connect the first phenyl ring to the second
phenyl ring.
16. The resist material of claim 15, wherein the sulfonium cation
further includes at least one carbon chemically bonded to the third
carbon, at least one carbon chemically bonded to the fourth carbon,
or both.
17. The resist material of claim 11, wherein the polymer, the
sensitizer, or both have a polyhydroxystyrene chemical
structure.
18. A resist material with enhanced sensitivity to extreme
ultraviolet (EUV) radiation, the resist material comprising: a
polymer; a sensitizer configured to generate electrons upon
absorbing the EUV radiation; and a photo-acid generator (PAG)
configured to generate acid upon absorbing the electrons, wherein
the PAG includes a triphenylsulfonium-based cation that includes a
first phenyl ring connected to a second phenyl ring.
19. The resist material of claim 18, wherein: the polymer includes
a poly(norbornene)-co-malaic anhydride (COMA) polymer, a
polyhydroxystyrene (PHS) polymer, or an acrylate-based polymer; and
the sensitizer includes PHS, poly-fluorostyrene, or
poly-chlorostyrene.
20. The resist material of claim 18, wherein the
triphenylsulfonium-based cation that includes the first phenyl ring
connected to the second phenyl ring includes one of the following
chemical structures: ##STR00001## ##STR00002##
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 15/412,856, filed Jan. 23, 2017, which claims
the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
62/428,266, filed Nov. 30, 2016, both of which are herein
incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has
experienced exponential growth. Technological advances in IC
materials and design have produced generations of ICs where each
generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous
generation. In the course of IC evolution, functional density
(i.e., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has
generally increased while geometry size (i.e., the smallest
component (or line) that can be created using a fabrication
process) has decreased. This scaling down process generally
provides benefits by increasing production efficiency and lowering
associated costs. Such scaling down has also increased the
complexity of processing and manufacturing ICs. For example, as the
semiconductor fabrication continues to shrink pitches below 20 nm
nodes, traditional i-ArF were confronted a huge challenge. The
optical restriction leads to resolution and lithography performance
that cannot meet targets. Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography has
been utilized to support critical dimension (CD) requirements of
smaller devices. EUV lithography employs scanners using radiation
in the EUV region, having a wavelength of about 1 nm to about 100
nm. Some EUV scanners provide 4.times. reduction projection
printing onto a resist film coated on a substrate, similar to some
optical scanners, except that the EUV scanners use reflective
rather than refractive optics. EUV lithography has imposed a
complex set of requirements upon the resist film.
[0003] The photo acid generator (PAG) in ArF resist absorbs 193 nm
wave and generates photoacid, and the acid will proceed 1000 times
chemical amplifier reaction (CAR) and deprotect acid labile group
(ALG). Different with 193 nm ArF resist, EUV will let sensitizer
generate secondary electron. The secondary electron's energy is
similar with 193 nm energy and is absorbed by PAG, which further
generates photoacid and proceeds to CAR reaction after absorbing
secondary electron, like 193 nm ArF resist. However, due to low
source power for EUV tool, photoresist is not efficient to generate
enough acid for desired resolution. What are needed are a
photoresist and a method using the photoresist to have improvements
in this area.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] The present disclosure is best understood from the following
detailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It is
emphasized that, in accordance with the standard practice in the
industry, various features are not drawn to scale and are used for
illustration purposes only. In fact, the dimensions of the various
features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of
discussion.
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates a flow chart of a lithography patterning
method in accordance with some embodiments.
[0006] FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D and 2E illustrate cross sectional views
of a semiconductor structure at various fabrication stages, in
accordance with some embodiments.
[0007] FIG. 3 illustrates a resist material of FIG. 2A in
accordance with some embodiments.
[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates a chemical structure of the polymer in
the resist material of FIG. 3 in accordance with an embodiment.
[0009] FIG. 5 illustrates a chemical structure of the ALG in the
resist material of FIG. 3 in accordance with an embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 6 illustrates a chemical structure of the PAG in the
resist material of FIG. 3 in accordance with an embodiment.
[0011] FIG. 7 illustrates a chemical structure of the cation in the
PAG of FIG. 6 in accordance with an embodiment.
[0012] FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C illustrate a chemical structure of the
PAG of FIG. 6 in accordance with various embodiments.
[0013] FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D, 9E, 9F, 9G and 9H illustrate a
chemical structure of the cation in the PAG of FIG. 6 in accordance
with some embodiments.
[0014] FIGS. 10A, 10B and 10C illustrate a chemical structure of
the cation in the PAG of FIG. 6 in accordance with some
embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] The following disclosure provides many different
embodiments, or examples, for implementing different features of
the provided subject matter. Specific examples of components and
arrangements are described below to simplify the present
disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not
intended to be limiting. For example, the formation of a first
feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows
may include embodiments in which the first and second features are
formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which
additional features may be formed between the first and second
features, such that the first and second features may not be in
direct contact. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat
reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This
repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does
not in itself dictate a relationship between the various
embodiments and/or configurations discussed.
[0016] Further, spatially relative terms, such as "beneath,"
"below," "lower," "above," "upper" and the like, may be used herein
for ease of description to describe one element or feature's
relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in
the figures. The spatially relative terms are intended to encompass
different orientations of the device in use or operation in
addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The apparatus
may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other
orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein
may likewise be interpreted accordingly.
[0017] The present disclosure is generally related to methods for
semiconductor device fabrication, and more particularly to
compositions of photosensitive films in extreme ultraviolet (EUV)
lithography and methods of using the same. In lithography
patterning, after a resist film is exposed to a radiation, such as
a EUV radiation (or alternatively other radiation, such as an
electron beam), it is developed in a developer (a chemical
solution). The developer removes portions (such as exposed portions
as in a positive-tone photoresist or unexposed portions as in a
negative-tone photoresist) of the resist film, thereby forming a
resist pattern which may include line patterns and/or trench
patterns. The resist pattern is then used as an etch mask in
subsequent etching processes, transferring the pattern to an
underlying material layer. Alternatively, the resist pattern is
then used as an ion implantation mask in subsequent ion
implantation processes applied to the underlying material layer,
such as an epitaxial semiconductor layer.
[0018] Generally, to produce the smallest possible circuitry, most
advanced lithography systems are designed to use light of very
short wavelength such as for example, deep-ultraviolet light at a
wavelength at or below 200 nm, or extreme ultraviolet (EUV) in the
region of about 13.5 nm. Such light sources are relatively weak, so
the photosensitive films (e.g., a photoresist) need to be designed
to utilize this light as efficiently as possible. Essentially
photoresists used today for microelectronic/nanoelectronic
fabrication employ the concept of chemical amplification to enhance
the efficiency of light utilization.
[0019] A photoresist that employs the chemical amplification is
generally referred to as a "chemically amplified resist (CAR)". The
photoresist includes a polymer that resists to etching or ion
implantation during semiconductor fabrication; an acid generating
compound (e.g., photo acid generator (PAG)); and a solvent. In some
examples, the polymer also includes at least one acid labile group
(ALG) that responds to acid. PAG absorbs radiation energy and
generates acid. The polymer and the PAG are mixed in the solvent
before the photoresist is applied to a workpiece, such as a
semiconductor wafer, during a lithography process. The PAG is not
sensitive to the EUV radiation. That is, advance to improve
lithography efficiency (e.g., resolution/contrast,
line-width-roughness, and sensitivity) encounters issues.
Therefore, the photoresist further includes a sensitizer serving to
increase the sensitivity of the photoresist. The sensitizer is
sensitive to EUV radiation, absorbs EUV radiation and generates
electron. Thus, the PAG absorbs electron and generates acid.
However, due to limited source power of a EUV lithography system,
an existing photoresist cannot provide imaging effect during a
lithography exposure process with desired resolution and contrast.
The disclosed photoresist includes a PAG with a certain chemical
structure for increased sensitivity. The photoresist and the
lithography method are further described below.
[0020] FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method 100 of patterning a
substrate (e.g., a semiconductor wafer) according to various
aspects of the present disclosure in some embodiments. The method
100 may be implemented, in whole or in part, by a system employing
advanced lithography processes such as deep ultraviolet (DUV)
lithography, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, electron beam
(e-beam) lithography, x-ray lithography, and/or other lithography
processes to improve pattern dimension accuracy. In the present
embodiment, EUV and/or e-beam lithography is used as the primary
example. Additional operations can be provided before, during, and
after the method 100, and some operations described can be
replaced, eliminated, or moved around for additional embodiments of
the method.
[0021] FIGS. 2A through 2E are sectional views of a semiconductor
structure 200 at various fabrication stages, constructed in
accordance with some embodiments. The method 100 is described below
in conjunction with FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2A through 2E wherein the
semiconductor structure 200 is fabricated by using embodiments of
the method 100. The semiconductor structure 200 may be an
intermediate workpiece fabricated during processing of an IC, or a
portion thereof, that may include logic circuits, memory
structures, passive components (such as resistors, capacitors, and
inductors), and active components such diodes, field-effect
transistors (FETs), metal-oxide semiconductor field effect
transistors (MOSFET), complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
(CMOS) transistors, bipolar transistors, high voltage transistors,
high frequency transistors, fin-like FETs (FinFETs), other
three-dimensional (3D) FETs, metal-oxide semiconductor field effect
transistors (MOSFET), complementary metal-oxide semiconductor
(CMOS) transistors, bipolar transistors, high voltage transistors,
high frequency transistors, other memory cells, and combinations
thereof.
[0022] Referring now to FIG. 1 in conjunction with FIG. 2A, the
method 100 begins at block 102 with a semiconductor structure 200.
Referring to FIG. 2A, the semiconductor structure 200 includes a
substrate 202. In an embodiment, the substrate 202 is a
semiconductor substrate (e.g., wafer). In another embodiment, the
substrate 202 includes silicon in a crystalline structure. In
alternative embodiments, the substrate 202 includes other
elementary semiconductors such as germanium, or a compound
semiconductor such as silicon carbide, gallium arsenide, indium
arsenide, and indium phosphide. The substrate 202 includes one or
more layers of material or composition. The substrate 202 may
include a silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate, be
strained/stressed for performance enhancement, include epitaxial
regions, include isolation regions, include doped regions, include
one or more semiconductor devices or portions thereof, include
conductive and/or non-conductive layers, and/or include other
suitable features and layers.
[0023] In the present embodiment, the substrate 202 includes an
underlayer (or material layer) 204 to be processed, such as to be
patterned or to be implanted. For example, the underlayer 204 is a
hard mask layer to be patterned. In another example, the underlayer
204 is an epitaxial semiconductor layer to be ion implanted.
However, in an alternative embodiment, the substrate 202 may not
include an underlayer. In an embodiment, the underlayer 204 is a
hard mask layer including material(s) such as silicon oxide,
silicon nitride (SiN), silicon oxynitride, or other suitable
material or composition. In an embodiment, the underlayer 204 is an
anti-reflection coating (ARC) layer such as a nitrogen-free
anti-reflection coating (NFARC) layer including material(s) such as
silicon oxide, silicon oxygen carbide, or plasma enhanced chemical
vapor deposited silicon oxide. In various embodiments, the
underlayer 204 may include a high-k dielectric layer, a gate layer,
a hard mask layer, an interfacial layer, a capping layer, a
diffusion/barrier layer, a dielectric layer, a conductive layer,
other suitable layers, and/or combinations thereof.
[0024] In some embodiments, the structure 200 may be alternatively
a photomask used to pattern a semiconductor wafer. In furtherance
of the embodiments, the substrate 202 is a photomask substrate that
may include a transparent material (such as quartz), or a low
thermal expansion material such as silicon oxide-titanium oxide
compound. The photomask substrate 202 may further include a
material layer to be patterned. To further this example, the
substrate 202 may be a photomask substrate for making a deep
ultraviolet (DUV) mask, an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask, or other
types of masks. Accordingly, the underlayer 204 is material layer
to be patterned to define a circuit pattern. For example, the
underlayer 204 is an absorber layer, such as chromium layer.
[0025] The method 100 proceeds to operation 104 with forming a
photoresist layer (or simply resist layer) 206 over the substrate
202 (FIG. 2A). The resist layer 206 is sensitive to radiation used
in a lithography exposure process and has a resistance to etch (or
implantation). Referring to FIG. 2A, in an embodiment, the resist
layer 206 is formed by spin-on coating process. In some
embodiments, the resist layer 206 is further treated with a soft
baking process. In some embodiments, the resist layer 206 is
sensitive to a radiation, such as I-line light, a DUV light (e.g.,
248 nm radiation by krypton fluoride (KrF) excimer laser or 193 nm
radiation by argon fluoride (ArF) excimer laser), a EUV light
(e.g., 135 nm light), an electron beam (e-beam), and an ion beam.
In the present embodiment, the resist layer 206 is sensitive to EUV
radiation.
[0026] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a resist material 300 of the
resist layer 206, constructed in accordance with some embodiments.
In the present example, the photoresist 300 utilizes a chemical
amplification (CA) photoresist material. For example, the CA resist
material is positive tone and includes a polymer material that
turns soluble to a developer after the polymeric material is
reacted with acid. In another example, the CA resist material is
negative tone and includes a polymer material that turns insoluble
to a developer such as a base solution after the polymer is reacted
with acid. In yet another example, the CA resist material includes
a polymer material that changes its polarity after the polymer is
reacted with acid.
[0027] The resist material 300 is sensitive to a first radiation,
such as extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light. The first radiation has a
first wavelength. The resist material 300 includes a polymer 302, a
blocking group 304 chemically bonded to the polymer 302, a
sensitizer 306, and an acid generating compound 308. The resist
material 300 further includes solvent 312 with above chemicals
mixed therein. The sensitizer 306 could be blended or bonding in
polymer 302. In some embodiments, the resist material 300 may
include other additives, such as quencher.
[0028] The polymer 302 provides resistance to etch (or
implantation). In various embodiments, the polymer 302 includes a
poly(norbornene)-co-malaic anhydride (COMA) polymer, a
polyhydroxystyrene (PHS) polymer, or an acrylate-based polymer. For
example, the acrylate-based polymer includes a poly (methyl
methacrylate) (PMMA) polymer. The PHS polymer includes a plurality
of PHS chemical structure 400 shown in FIG. 4, in which n is an
integer greater than 2. The PHS chemical structure 400 includes two
ends 402 and 404 that are chemically linkable ends of other PHS
chemical structures. Furthermore, PHS is also sensitive to EUV and
is able to function as sensitizer for EUV resist. Accordingly, a
plurality of the chemical structures 400 are chemically bonded
together (through the two ends 402 and 404), thereby forming a PHS
polymeric backbone. The polymer 302 also includes multiple side
locations that may chemically bond with other chemical groups. For
example, the PHS polymer incudes a plurality of hydroxyl (OH)
groups 406 chemically bonded to side locations.
[0029] In some examples, the resist material 300 further includes a
blocking group 304, such as acid labile group (ALG) or dissolution
inhibitor that responds to acid. The ALG 304 is a chemical group
that is deprotected by PAG in exposed areas of the resist layer.
Thus, the exposed resist material 300 will change the polarity and
dissolubility. For example, the exposed resist material has an
increased dissolubility in a developer (for a positive-tone resist)
or decreased dissolubility in a developer (for a negative-tone
resist). When the exposing dose of the lithography exposing process
reaches a dose threshold, the exposed resist material will be
dissoluble in the developer or alternatively the exposed resist
material will be soluble in the developer. In one example, the ALG
304 includes a t-butoxycardbonyl (tBOC) 500 illustrated in FIG.
5.
[0030] The resist material 300 includes an acid generating compound
308, such as photoacid generator (PAG). The acid generating
compound 308 absorbs radiation energy and generates acid. The
resist material 300 also includes a solvent 312. The polymer 302
and the acid generating compound 308 are mixed in the solvent 312
before the resist material is applied to a workpiece, such as a
semiconductor wafer, during a lithography process.
[0031] The resist material 300 further includes a sensitizer 306 to
increase the sensitivity and efficiency of the resist material. The
PAG in the resist material may not be sensitive to EUV but is more
sensitive to electrons or other radiation, such UV or DUV. Thus, by
incorporating the sensitizer 306, the resist material has an
enhanced sensitivity to the first radiation. Particularly, the
sensitizer 306 is sensitive to the first radiation and be able to
generate a second radiation in response to the first radiation. In
the present embodiment, the first radiation is EUV radiation and
the second radiation is electron(s). The sensitizer 306 absorbs EUV
radiation and generates secondary electron. Furthermore, the acid
generating compound 308 is sensitive to the secondary electron,
absorbs the secondary electron and generates acid. Additionally or
alternatively, the sensitizer 306 absorbs the first radiation with
a first wavelength and generates second radiation with a second
wavelength. The second wavelength is greater than the first
wavelength. In furtherance of the embodiment, the first radiation
is EUV light and the first wavelength is about 13.5 nm; and the
second wavelength ranges between 180 nm and 250 nm. In various
examples, the sensitizer 306 includes a fluorine-containing
chemical, a metal-containing chemical, a phenol-containing chemical
or a combination thereof. In some examples, the sensitizer 306
includes a PHS chemical structure. In other examples, the
sensitizer 306 includes polyhydroxystyrene, poly-fluorostyrene, or
poly-chlorostyrene. 180 nm and 250 nm. In various examples, the
sensitizer 306 includes a fluorine-containing chemical, a
metal-containing chemical, a phenol-containing chemical or a
combination thereof. In some examples, the sensitizer 306 includes
polyhydroxystyrene, poly-fluorostyrene, or poly-chlorostyrene. The
sensitizer 306 is mixed with the polymer 302 and the acid generator
compound 308 in the solvent 312. The sensitizer 306 is
alternatively or additionally bonded to the polymer 302. For
example, some of the sensitizer is mixed with the polymer 302 and
some of the sensitizer is chemically bonded to the polymer 302.
[0032] Back to the acid generating compound (or PAG) 308. The PAG
308 includes a phenyl ring. In a particular example, the PAG 308
includes a sulfonium cation, such as a triphenylsulfonium (TPS)
group; and an anion, such as a triflate anion. Particularly, the
cation of the PAG has a chemical bond to a sulfur and an additional
chemical bond such that the sensitivity (or absorption) of the PAG
to the electron, or other type of the second radiation, is
increased.
[0033] The PAG structure is further described according to various
examples. FIG. 6 illustrates the PAG 308, in part, constructed in
accordance with some embodiments. The PAG 308 includes a cation 602
and anion 604. In some illustrated examples, the anion 604 includes
one of a sulfonyl hydroxide and a fluoroalky sulfonyl
hydroxide.
[0034] The cation 602 of the PAG 306 includes a first phenyl ring
606 and a second phenyl ring 608 chemically bonded to a sulfur 610.
The cation 602 may include a third phenyl ring 612 chemically
bonded to the sulfur 610. Especially, the first phenyl ring 606 and
the second phenyl ring 608 are further chemically bonded, such as
through a chemical group 614 or alternatively directly chemically
bonded. Thus the dual chemical bonding of the first and second
phenyl rings changes the structure of the cation, such as changing
the motion freedom of the cation, thereby enhancing the absorption
of the secondary electron. This can be understood by following
explanation based on our experiments and analysis. Those phenyl
rings bonding to the sulfur by a single bond connection provide
various independent free rotations (such as 702, 704, and 706),
which cause the three phenyl ring to exist in different plane and
decreases the electron resonance distance 708, as illustrated in
FIG. 7. In contrary, in the disclosed PAG 306 illustrated in FIG.
6, the cation 602 bridges the two phenyl rings (606 and 608) to
reduce independent rotations (for example, independent rotations
are reduced and limited to independent rotation 616). Therefore, it
helps to prolong the resonance distance 618 and increase radical
cation stability. Therefore, the secondary election is easier to be
transferred to the cation and improve the quantum yield of acid
generation. Accordingly, the sensitivity of the PAG 308 to the
electron (or other type of the second radiation) is increased.
[0035] More particularly, the first phenyl ring 606 includes a
first carbon and a second carbon adjacent to the first carbon and
the second phenyl ring 608 includes a third carbon and a fourth
carbon adjacent to the third carbon. The first carbon of the first
phenyl ring 606 and the third carbon of the second phenyl ring 608
are chemically bonded to the sulfur, and the second carbon of the
first phenyl ring 606 and the fourth carbon of the second phenyl
ring 608 form an additional chemical bond through the chemical
group 614. In various examples, the chemical structure R is a
chemical group selected from the group consisting of a C1-C20 alkyl
group, a cycloalkyl group, a hydroxyl alkyl group, an alkoxy group,
an alkoxyl alkyl group, an acetyl group, an acetyl alkyl group, an
carboxyl group, an alkyl caboxyl group, an cycloalkyl carboxyl
group, a C2.about.C30 saturated hydrocarbon ring, a C2.about.C30
unsaturated hydrocarbon ring, a C2-C30 heterocyclic group, a 3-D
chemical structure, or a combination thereof. In the above, the
C1-C20 alkyl group stands for an alkyl group having a number ("n")
of carbons, wherein the number n ranges from 1 to 20. Similarly,
the C2.about.C30 saturated hydrocarbon ring stands for a saturated
hydrocarbon ring having a number of carbons ranging from 2 to 30.
In some examples, the C2-C30 heterocyclic group has one of a chain
structure and a ring structure. In other examples, the 3-D chemical
structure includes an adamantyl group. Alternatively, the second
carbon and the fourth carbon are directly chemically bonded
together.
[0036] Additional bonding between the first phenyl ring and second
phenyl ring increases the sensitivity of the PAG. Various examples
are provided below. FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C illustrate the structure of
the PAG 306 constructed according to various examples. In one
example illustrated in FIG. 8A, the PAG includes a cation 602
having three phenyl rings all chemically bonded to a sulfur
element; and anion "A-" 604. Two of the phenyl rings are further
chemically bonded. In the present case, the two of the phenyl rings
are directly bonded, such as one carbon 802 of the first phenyl
ring 606 and another carbon 804 of the second phenyl ring 608 are
directly chemically bonded. In FIG. 8B, the PAG is similar to that
of FIG. 8A except for that two phenyl rings are further chemically
bonded through a chemical group R (labeled as 614), which is
defined above. In FIG. 8C, the PAG includes a cation having a
single phenyl ring 806 and a sulfur element 610 chemically bonded
together. The sulfur element 610 is further bonded to two carbons
808 and 810. Those two carbons 808 and 810 are further chemically
bonded through the chemical group R.
[0037] FIGS. 9A though 9H illustrate the cation 602 of the PAG 306,
constructed according to various embodiments. The cation 602
includes a first phenyl ring, a second phenyl ring and a third
phenyl ring all chemically bonded to a sulfur element. The first
and second phenyl rings form a second chemical bond through
different chemical structures, such as one carbon as illustrated in
FIG. 9A; two carbons as illustrated in FIG. 9A; or three carbons as
illustrated in FIG. 9C. In addition to the second chemical bonding,
The cation 602 may further include other chemical structures, such
as those illustrated in FIGS. 9D to 9H. For example in FIG. 9D, two
phenyl rings are bonded to the sulfur and are further bonded
together through a carbon 902, which is further bonded to another
carbon 904 or a chemical structure. In FIG. 9E, two phenyl rings
are bonded to the sulfur and further bonded through a carbon 902,
which is further bonded to a chemical structure 906 having two
carbons. In FIG. 9F, two phenyl rings are bonded to the sulfur and
further bonded through a carbon 902, which is further bonded to a
chemical structure 908 having three carbons. In FIG. 9G, two phenyl
rings are bonded to the sulfur and further bonded through two
carbons 902, one of the two carbons 902 being further bonded to a
carbon 912 or a chemical structure. In FIG. 9H, two phenyl rings
are bonded to the sulfur and further bonded through two carbons
902, each being further bonded to a carbon 912 or a chemical
structure.
[0038] FIGS. 10A though 10C illustrate the cation 602 of the PAG
306, constructed according to various other examples. Those can be
considered as different examples of the cation 602 in FIG. 8C. The
cation 602 includes a phenyl ring and sulfur 610 chemically bonded
together. The sulfur 610 is further chemically bonded to series of
carbons (4 carbons in FIG. 10A; 5 carbons in FIG. 10B; and 3
carbons in FIG. 10C), in a closed ring. Particularly, the sulfur
610 is further bonded to two carbons 1002 and 1004. Those two
carbons 1002 and 1004 are further chemically bonded through the
chemical group R, such as two carbons in FIG. 10A, three carbons in
FIG. 10B and one carbon in FIG. 10C, respectively. It is noted that
each cation structure includes a phenyl ring and a second ring.
However, the second ring is a heterocyclic compound that includes
sulfur and carbons. For example, the cation 602 in FIG. 10A
includes a thiophene bonded to the phenyl ring though the
sulfur.
[0039] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2B, the method 100 proceeds to
operation 106 by performing an exposing process to the resist layer
206 to the first radiation beam in a lithography system. In some
embodiments, the first radiation is a EUV radiation (e.g., 13.5
nm). In some embodiments, the first radiation may be an I-line (365
nm), a DUV radiation such as KrF excimer laser (248 nm), ArF
excimer laser (193 nm), a EUV radiation, an x-ray, an e-beam, an
ion beam, and/or other suitable radiations. The operation 106 may
be performed in air, in a liquid (immersion lithography), or in a
vacuum (e.g., for EUV lithography and e-beam lithography). In some
embodiments, the radiation beam is directed to the resist layer 206
to form an image of a circuit pattern defined on a photomask, such
as a transmissive mask or a reflective mask in a proper exposing
mode, such as step and scan. Various resolution enhancement
techniques, such as phase-shifting, off-axis illumination (OAI)
and/or optical proximity correction (OPC), may be used implemented
through the photomask or the exposing process. For examples, the
OPC features may be incorporated into the circuit pattern. In
another example, the photomask is a phase-shift mask, such as an
alternative phase-shift mask, an attenuated phase-shift mask, or a
chromeless phase-shift mask. In yet another example, the exposing
process is implemented in an off-axis illumination mode. In some
other embodiments, the radiation beam is directly modulated with a
predefined pattern, such as an IC layout, without using a mask
(such as using a digital pattern generator or direct-write mode).
In the present embodiment, the radiation beam is a EUV radiation
and the operation 106 is performed in a EUV lithography system,
such as the EUV lithography system. Since the sensitivity of the
resist layer 206 is enhanced and the exposing threshold of the
resist layer may be lower than 20 mJ/cm.sup.2. Accordingly, the
exposing process is implemented with the dose less than 20
mJ/cm.sup.2.
[0040] Still referring to the operation 106, after the exposure,
the operation 106 may further include other steps, such as thermal
treatment. In the present embodiment, the operation 106 includes a
post-exposure baking (PEB) process to the semiconductor structure
200, especially to the resist layer 206 coated on the substrate
202. During the PEB process, the ALG 304 in the exposed resist
material is cleaved, the exposed portions of the resist material
300 are changed chemically (such as more hydrophilic or more
hydrophobic). In a specific embodiment, the PEB process may be
performed in a thermal chamber at temperature ranging between about
120.degree. C. to about 160.degree. C.
[0041] After the operation 106, a latent pattern is formed on the
resist layer 206. The latent pattern of a resist layer refers to
the exposed pattern on the resist layer, which eventually becomes a
physical resist pattern, such as by a developing process. The
latent pattern of the resist layer 206 includes unexposed portions
206a and exposed portions 206. In the present case, of the latent
pattern, the exposed portions 206b of the resist layer 206 are
physically or chemically changed. In some examples, the exposed
portions 206b are de-protected, inducing polarity change for
dual-tone imaging (developing). In other examples, the exposed
portions 206b are changed in polymerization, such as depolymerized
as in positive resist or cross-linked as in negative resist.
[0042] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2C, the method 100 then proceeds to
operation 108 by developing the exposed resist layer 206 in a
developer, constructed in accordance with some embodiments. By the
developing process, a patterned resist layer 206' is formed. In
some embodiments, the resist layer 206 experiences a polarity
change after the operation 106, and a dual-tone developing process
may be implemented. In some examples, the resist layer 206 is
changed from a nonpolar state (hydrophobic state) to a polar state
(hydrophilic state), then the exposed portions 206b will be removed
by an aqueous solvent (positive tone imaging), such as tetramethyl
ammonium hydroxide (TMAH), or alternatively the unexposed portions
206a will be removed by an organic solvent (negative tone imaging),
such as butyl acetate. In some other examples, the resist layer 206
is changed from a polar state to a nonpolar state, then the exposed
portions 206b will be removed by an organic solvent (positive tone
imaging) or the unexposed portions 206a will be removed by an
aqueous solvent (negative tone imaging).
[0043] In the present example illustrated in FIG. 2C, the unexposed
portions 206a are removed in the developing process. In this
example shown in FIG. 2C, the patterned resist layer 206' is
represented by two line patterns. However, the following discussion
is equally applicable to resist patterns represented by
trenches.
[0044] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2D, the method 100 includes an
operation 110 by performing a fabrication process to the
semiconductor structure 200 using the patterned resist layer 206'
as a mask such that the fabrication process is only applied to the
portions of the semiconductor structure 200 within the openings of
the patterned resist layer 206' while other portions covered by the
patterned resist layer 206' are protected from being impacted by
the fabrication process. In some embodiments, the fabrication
process includes an etching process applied to the material layer
204 using the patterned resist layer 206' as an etch mask, thereby
transferring the pattern from the patterned resist layer 206' to
the material layer 204. In alternative embodiments, the fabrication
process includes an ion implantation process applied to the
semiconductor structure 200 using the patterned resist layer as an
implantation mask, thereby forming various doped features in the
semiconductor structure 200.
[0045] In the present example, the material layer 204 is a hard
mask layer. To further this embodiment, the pattern is first
transferred from the patterned resist layer 206' to the hard mask
layer 204, then to other layers of the substrate 202. For example,
the hard mask layer 204 may be etched through openings of the
patterned resist layer 206' using a dry (plasma) etching, a wet
etching, and/or other etching methods. For example, a dry etching
process may implement an oxygen-containing gas, a
fluorine-containing gas, a chlorine-containing gas, a
bromine-containing gas, an iodine-containing gas, other suitable
gases and/or plasmas, and/or combinations thereof. The patterned
resist layer 206' may be partially or completely consumed during
the etching of the hard mask layer 204. In an embodiment, any
remaining portion of the patterned resist layer 206' may be
stripped off, leaving a patterned hard mask layer 204' over the
substrate 202, as illustrated in FIG. 2E.
[0046] Although not shown in FIG. 1, the method 100 may include
other operations before, during or after the operations described
above. In an embodiment, the substrate 202 is a semiconductor
substrate and the method 100 proceeds to forming fin field effect
transistor (FinFET) structures. In this embodiment, the method 100
includes forming a plurality of active fins in the semiconductor
substrate 202. In furtherance of the embodiment, the operation 110
further includes etching the substrate 202 through the openings of
the patterned hard mask 204' to form trenches in the substrate 202;
filling the trenches with a dielectric material; performing a
chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process to form shallow trench
isolation (STI) features; and epitaxy growing or recessing the STI
features to form fin-like active regions. In another embodiment,
the method 100 includes other operations to form a plurality of
gate electrodes in the semiconductor substrate 202. The method 100
may further form gate spacers, doped source/drain regions, contacts
for gate/source/drain features, etc. In another embodiment, a
target pattern is to be formed as metal lines in a multilayer
interconnection structure. For example, the metal lines may be
formed in an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) layer of the substrate
202, which has been etched by operation 110 to form a plurality of
trenches. The method 100 proceeds to filling the trenches with a
conductive material, such as a metal; and further proceeds to
polishing the conductive material using a process such as chemical
mechanical planarization (CMP) to expose the patterned ILD layer,
thereby forming the metal lines in the ILD layer. The above are
non-limiting examples of devices/structures that can be made and/or
improved using the method 100 and the material layer 206 according
to various aspects of the present disclosure.
[0047] The present disclosure provides a photoresist material with
enhanced sensitivity and a lithography method using the same. The
resist material includes a polymer, a sensitizer and a PAG mixed in
a solvent. More specifically, the PAG includes a phenyl ring bonded
to sulfur with an additional chemical bond for increased resonance
distance and increased absorption to secondary electrons or other
type of the second radiation. Accordingly, the sensitivity of the
resist material is enhanced.
[0048] Thus, the present disclosure provides a method for
lithography patterning in accordance with some embodiments. The
method includes forming a photoresist layer over a substrate,
wherein the photoresist layer includes a polymer, a sensitizer, and
a photo-acid generator (PAG), wherein the PAG includes a first
phenyl ring and a second phenyl ring both chemically bonded to a
sulfur, the first and second phenyl rings being further chemically
bonded with enhanced sensitivity; performing an exposing process to
the photoresist layer; and developing the photoresist layer,
thereby forming a patterned photoresist layer.
[0049] The present disclosure provides a method for lithography
patterning in accordance with some embodiments. The method includes
forming a photoresist layer over a substrate, wherein the
photoresist layer includes a polymer, a sensitizer, and a
photo-acid generator (PAG), wherein the PAG includes a first phenyl
ring and a sulfur chemically bonded together, wherein the sulfur is
further chemically bonded to a first carbon and a second carbon
that are chemically bonded together; performing an exposing process
to the photoresist layer; and developing the photoresist layer,
thereby forming a patterned photoresist layer.
[0050] The present disclosure provides a method for lithography
patterning in accordance with some embodiments. The method includes
forming a photoresist layer over a substrate, wherein the
photoresist layer includes a polymer; a sensitizer that is
sensitive to an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation and is able to
generate an electron in response to the EUV radiation; and a
photo-acid generator (PAG) that is able to generate an acid in
response to the electron, wherein the PAG includes a first phenyl
ring and a second phenyl ring bother chemically bonded to a sulfur,
the first and second phenyl rings being further chemically bonded
with enhanced sensitivity; performing an exposing process to the
photoresist layer to the EUV radiation; and developing the
photoresist layer, thereby forming a patterned photoresist
layer.
[0051] The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so
that those of ordinary skill in the art may better understand the
aspects of the present disclosure. Those of ordinary skill in the
art should appreciate that they may readily use the present
disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes
and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/or achieving
the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein. Those of
ordinary skill in the art should also realize that such equivalent
constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the
present disclosure, and that they may make various changes,
substitutions, and alterations herein without departing from the
spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
* * * * *